The United Kingdom has become one of the world leaders in BIM (Building Information Modelling) initiatives. The National Building Specifications is a system of building specifications that establishes four levels of BIM implementation in the UK:
–Level 0: This consists of no collaboration, a level currently surpassed by most countries in the world.
-Level 1: This comprises a combination of 3D drafting of conceptual work for construction projects, with the drafting of legal documentation and production information in 2D (two-dimensional).
-Level 2: This level is characterised by extensive collaborative work. For this the BIM software must allow the export of construction project information to a common file format (IFC or COBie).
-Level 3: Although not yet fully defined, this level is oriented towards the complete life cycle management of a construction project.
The UK government currently requires all publicly funded construction work to be carried out using BIM up to Level 2.
By Eduardo Hernández García, structural technician in Amusement Logic’s Architecture Department.
